Résumés sometimes contain graphical elements, and the use of such “graphical résumés” may be increasing. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of including different types of graphical elements in a résumé on the most important outcome measure from the perspective of the applicant – the probability of a positive selection decision by the evaluator. There was a reliable preference for a textual résumé when participants asked which design they thought would be most effective. However, there was no reliable effect of résumé design on evaluator’s decisions about the applicant whose qualifications were represented.

Résumés sometimes contain graphical elements, and the use of such “graphical résumés” may be increasing. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of including different types of graphical elements in a résumé on the most important outcome measure from the perspective of the applicant – the probability of a positive selection decision by the evaluator. There was a reliable preference for a textual résumé when participants asked which design they thought would be most effective. However, there was no reliable effect of résumé design on evaluator’s decisions about the applicant whose qualifications were represented.

A recent thread of usability research is the investigation of the relationship between a product’s degree of usability and its degree of beauty. Previous research endeavors have found support for both “what is beautiful is usable” and “what is usable is beautiful” claims, emphasizing the need for further study on the topic. The current study was performed to further investigate this relationship by manipulating usability indirectly – by use of a functional prime, and by experimentally manipulating aesthetic principles. One hundred twenty-two participants rated sixteen manipulated on four aesthetic principles: symmetry, composition, curvature, and prototypicality after being presented with one of two functional primes. Results indicate that the aesthetic principles of symmetry and composition are independent primed function whereas curvature was dependent on priming.